Role Of Universities Vital In Stemming Economic, Political Rot: GCU Principal

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Dec, 2022 ) :Vice Chancellor (VC) Government College University (GCU) Lahore Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi has said the role of institutions of higher learning is vital in promoting political maturity, social development and political economic development in the country.

"A country sans excellence in research and innovation can't progress," he said while addressing the 17th National Symposium on Frontiers of Physics here on Thursday. He said that in the kind of situation Pakistan was passing through, a strange kind of chaos and severe economic crisis, it was time for educational institutions to do self-accountability to see where they lacked and how they could play their role to improve economy and intellect.

The three-day symposium is being organised by Physics Department of the GCU in collaboration with the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) and the Pakistan academy of Sciences.

Nobel Laureate Sir Roger Penrose is also scheduled to address the symposium.

GCU VC Prof. Asghar Zaidi called upon the participants to also discuss societal impact of research, being presented at the conference.

Dr Shoaib Ahmad from National Centre for Physics, who endorsed Prof Dr Zaidi's views, said something wrong happened which detracted the educational institutions from science and education, and undermined their role.

In his keynote address, noted plasma physicist and mathematician Prof. Dr. G. Murtaza noted that the world of science was witnessing rapid developments and knowledge was accumulating at very fast pace and physicists were making great progress in uncovering the deep mysteries of nature.

He explained the recent major breakthroughs in physics which had resulted in the development of quark model of matter. He explained to the students the technological advancements which had won the Nobel prize in the last two decades.

GCU Dean Prof. Dr Raiz Ahmad said a large number of physicists from Pakistan's leading universities and R&D organisations were participating in the three-day event, which would have more than 20 technical sessions on different topics including condensed matter physics, high energy particle physics, nanotechnology, cosmology, atomic & molecular physics, lasers, plasma physics & controlled fusion.

About 50 physicists are presenting talks and papers at the symposium highlighting the recent important developments in physics and the impact of these developments on various aspects of our lives.